One wrestler who will make his first appearance in a Section 9 final is Port Jervis senior Travis Edwards, the top seed at 160 pounds.

Edwards had lost in the semifinals in each of the last two seasons, but he broke through this year with a 6-0 decision over Minisink Valley's Amon Gervais in the semifinals.

"I've been pushing it for the whole season," Edwards said. "It's been kind of a goal for me since eighth grade, when I got called up to varsity."

Port Jervis had four wrestlers reach the semifinal round and three of them — Edwards, Dan DeCarlo and Dylan Booth — won.

"I love it. I love to be on the big stage and have everyone watching you," Edwards. "I like to see my teammates succeed, too, it's great."

Monroe-Woodbury sent 14 wrestlers to the semifinals. The Crusaders will have seven wrestlers competing in the finals.

P.J. Smoot, a Monroe-Woodbury junior and the top seed at 120 pounds, scored one point with 45 seconds remaining in the third period of his semifinal against Washingtonville's Luis Andreakis. That point broke a tie and sent Smoot to the finals with a 5-4 decision victory.

"I didn't expect it to be that close," Smoot said. "I thought I might win by a lot. I don't know. I won."

Port Jervis junior Dan DeCarlo will have a chance to defend his Section 9 title, as he reached the 152-pound final. DeCarlo was a Section 9 champion at 160 pounds in 2012.

Kingston senior Deon Edmond, a Section 9 champion at 195 pounds last season, is also back in the finals.

Stramiello, who is no stranger to the Section 9 finals, knows it doesn't get any easier, even with his years of experience.

"As you do better and better, everyone starts gunning for you," Stramiello said. "One of my coaches told me, 'Once you get that good, you're everybody's Super Bowl.' It gets tougher, but you have to keep working harder and harder and it will come easier naturally."